Lion of Amphipolis returning to past glory

The Central Archaeological Council has approved the restoration of the Lion of Amphipolis, a monumental sculpture that was believed to have originally stood atop the Kasta Tomb in Serres, northern Greece.

Discovered in fragments between 1912 and 1929 – by Greek soldiers in the Balkan Wars, British officers in WWI and later during land drainage works – the lion was reconstructed in 1936 by the French and American schools in Athens. Its missing parts, including the top of its head and the lower jaw, were restored using concrete and iron pins, a method that was advanced for its time but would not be chosen today.

Now standing 8 meters tall with its pedestal and typologically linked to the lions of Piraeus and Chaeronea, the 4th-century BC sculpture will be treated for damage from humidity, exposure and the use of inappropriate materials in its original restoration.

Source: ekathimerini.com